technoculture314-09

Should someone have to face real-world consequences for their actions in an online game? It could be argued that the average person uses Second Life for the same reason as what the Renaissance and Medieval everyday person went to the carnival: for a non-consequential escape. Its a long quote, but Mikhail Bakhtin gives us an idea on what the carnival meant for people during those times.

“All the symbols of the carnival are filled with this (ever-changing playful) pathos of change and renewal, with the sense of the gay relativity of prevailing truths and authority. We find here a characteristic logic of the ‘inside out,’ of the “turnabout,” of a continual shifting from top to bottom, from front to rear, of numerous parodies and travesties, humiliations, profanations, comic crownings and uncrownings. A second life, a second world of folk culture is thus constructed.”

It seems that what Bakhtin was trying to get across, was that the ‘everyday’ person got to escape from their boring usual activities when they went to the carnival. While there was a lot of jokers, fools and cross-dressing, there was also the idea that everyone had the same status or social class on the day of the carnival. Similar instances can be seen in online games like Second life, where the player gets to be whoever he or she wants. As well as the fact that everyone is equal and, of course, they get to act like a fool without any real world consequences. I was reading up on the advantages of Second Life gaming and came across many stories that involved questions about the etiquette of an avatar. It seems that there are quite a few 'real-world' companies that have started to use Second Life in order to conduct their business (for example conference calling). In a Wall Street Journal blog, Marisa Taylor, posted an article with the title, "You’re Avatar Is Dressed Inappropriately." In the article she says that the company, Gartner, has released a new report on the etiquette that an avatar should have. “Just as with social networking sites and individual Web pages where employees participate as representatives of their employer, an avatar’s behavior and appearance are a reflection of the individual and the company they work for.” If your avatar represents ‘who you truly are' in your attempt to escape reality, then it brings up the question as to whether companies should be allowed to enforce a dress code. It also brings up the question of whether it is called discrimination if an employee has to change 'who they really are' in order to be accepted the work environment.